


Even More Than The Ocean

by SummerStormFlower



Category: Disney Duck Universe, DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Big Brothers, Cousins, Family Fluff, Gen, Sibling Fluff, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23061190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerStormFlower/pseuds/SummerStormFlower
Summary: Huey is frustrated neither of his brothers will listen to him. Donald understands all too well and tells Huey about what it was like growing up with a daredevil sister and two rugrat cousins.
Relationships: Della Duck & Donald Duck & Fethry Duck & Gladstone Gander, Donald Duck & Huey Duck
Comments: 16
Kudos: 150





	Even More Than The Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe alternate universe? I’m still confused as to what counts as an alternate universe.  
> The only thing I’d say you need to know is that Donald, Della, Gladstone and Fethry grew up in the same house.

Huey was no more than five when he realized he was the oldest. He decided from then on, that he was going to be the responsible one; that it was his job to look after Dewey and Louie, his younger brothers. 

Personally, Donald just wanted him to be a kid. He was way too young to try to be playing caretaker.   
However, Donald could also understand why being the oldest so important to Huey. 

So he let Huey navigate through what it meant to be a big brother, offering his own advice along the way. 

When Huey stormed into his room one day, arms crossed, and an angry pout on his face, Donald figured his guidance was needed again. 

“I hate them,” Huey said grumpily, climbing onto Donald’s bed and plopping on the mattress with a frustrated huff. 

“What happened this time?” Donald asked gently, sitting down beside his nephew. 

“They won’t listen to me!” Huey whined, “They’re supposed to listen to me!”

Donald couldn’t help but laugh. 

“What’s so funny, Unca’ Donald?” Huey asked, clearly confused. 

Donald smiled and put a hand on the boy’s small shoulder. “The thing about younger siblings, Huey, is that they never listen to you,” he said. 

Huey made a face at him. “But they’re supposed to!” he pouted. 

Donald tried not to laugh this time. “I know sometimes it feels like they’re supposed to listen to you,” he began, “but you have to understand that they are their own people. They don’t always share the same view as you.” Wait, Donald stopped himself, that was wrong. “Actually, they never share the same view as you,” he said with a grin. 

Huey’s pout just got bigger. “But I want them to.”

Donald ruffled the little hat on his head. “I know you do,” he said. He completely understood. “But if they agreed with you all the time, then Dewey wouldn’t be Dewey and Louie wouldn’t be Louie. And you love them for who they are, don’t you?” he asked, although he already knew the answer. 

Huey frowned down at his lap. As much as he wished his brothers would just listen to him, he didn’t want to change who they were. Dewey and Louie’s differences were what gave him familiarity and comfort. 

“Yeah, I love them,” Huey mumbled, “but they’re annoying.”

Donald laughed. “I know what you mean, buddy. The joys and hardships of being a big brother.”

Huey blinked curiously at him. “Unca’ Donald, how come you know so much about being a big brother?” he asked.

Donald’s smile dissipated a little, but didn’t go away. He knelt down in front of Huey. “Well, I grew up with your mother—my little sister—and two rambunctious cousins,” he replied. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “They never listened to a word I said, and were always dragging me into the trouble they caused.”

Donald couldn’t help but laugh quietly at the memories. He remembered all the pranks, and tricks, and shenanigans Della and Gladstone pulled when they were kids. Fethry wasn’t as bad, but he certainly wasn’t an angel. Most of the time, Donald had been their target. 

Donald himself, though, was no angel either. He retaliated with all his might. Except against Fethry, because really, none of them could ever stay mad at the baby for long. 

And when someone threatened one of them or got on their bad side, all four of them would band together to get revenge. As much as Donald fought with his sister and cousins, they had each other’s backs. 

He remembered, bitterly, when the biggest schoolyard bully beat up Gladstone. He’d had a black eye, a bloody lip, and a splatter of bruises on his right arm. The guy who did it was about Donald’s age—sixteen, at the time—while Gladstone was two years younger. 

Donald hadn’t held anything back. Nobody hurt Gladstone like that ever again. 

“Did they annoy you?” Huey asked him. 

“Oh yeah, they were so annoying,” Donald responded, making Huey giggle. 

“Who was the most annoying?” Huey asked with a grin. 

Donald had to think about that for a minute. Della and Gladstone were just about tied, although Fethry had also proved to be quite the hassle too. Like when he was little and asked Donald the same questions over and over again. Or when he figured out how the light switch worked. 

However, Donald couldn’t recall Fethry purposely annoying him very often. He was a sweet kid full of sunshine growing up, and other than his clumsy accidents, he’d rarely annoyed Donald. 

So it was either Gladstone or Della. And that was an extremely hard choice. 

“You know what, I’m not sure,” Donald told his nephew, “they were all super annoying in their own ways.” He smiled when that made Huey giggle again. “But,” he started again, “I loved them more than anything.”

“Even the ocean?” Huey asked. 

“Even the ocean,” Donald replied, grinning when Huey’s eyes widened.

There wasn’t a single thing Donald could think of that he wouldn’t have done for them, even if he was mad at them, even if they’d hurt him. 

His smile faltered a little as he remembered the bad memories. 

Gladstone’s parents died when he was eight. He’d locked himself in the closet for days. Donald hadn’t moved from the other side of the door for just as long. He’d talked, and told Gladstone stories, and sang him songs, until he was ready to come out and had thrown himself into Donald’s arms.

Fethry fell out of a tree and hit his head real hard when he was six. He didn’t wake up for a long time. Donald stayed by his bedside all that time, begging and praying that his little cousin would wake up and be alright. When Fethry had, thankfully, woken up, he wasn’t alright. He was in a lot of pain. Donald fussed over him like a mother hen for weeks. 

When Della took that rocket five years ago...and hadn’t come back...Donald changed his whole life, taking it upon himself to raise her kids. Which, Donald was pretty sure, was the most important decision he’d ever made and the biggest favour he’s ever done for his sister. But even if she’d had quadruplets, even quintuplets—even octuplets—Donald would’ve still done it. Because Della was his only sister, his baby sister.

“Do you still love them?” Huey asked softly. 

“Yes, I do,” Donald answered without hesitation, “The same way you love your brothers.”

Huey thought about that for a moment. Then he asked, “Do you miss them?”

“I do.” Donald missed them a lot. He hadn’t seen Gladstone or Fethry since Della...left them. He wondered if they missed him too. He wondered if Della was missing him from up in the clouds. 

“Do you love us like you love them?” Huey asked him. 

Donald smiled and pulled Huey into his lap. “I love you, Dewey and Louie more than anything.”

Huey grinned up at him. “Even the ocean?”

Donald laughed and hugged Huey close. “Even the ocean.”

**Author's Note:**

> I am an only child, but I am very close with my own cousins. So I know a little bit of how the dynamics work. Oh, and I’m the oldest cousin too! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!! :)


End file.
